All eyes will be on the Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium as Ivory Coast vs Nigeria square off against each other on Thursday. Which of these outfits will emerge victorious at the end of this match?
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria probable lineups
Ivory Coast
Goalkeeper: Yahia Fofana.
Defenders: Wilfried Singo, Ousmane Diomande, Evan Ndicka, Ghislain Konan.
Midfielders: Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, Ibrahim Sangaré.
Forwards: Jérémie Boga, Jean-Philippe Krasso, Nicolas Pepe.
Nigeria
Goalkeeper: Stanley Nwabali.
Defenders: Zaidu Sanusi, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina.
Midfielders: Frank Onyeka, Alex Iwobi, Joe Aribo.
Forwards: Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze.
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria confirmed lineups
*Lineups will be automatically updated shortly after they're released
Ivory Coast vs Nigeria stats and predictions
As it stands, Ivory Coast are at the top of the Group A table, as they kicked off their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with a victory.
On the other hand, Nigeria's Super Eagles played out a 1-1 draw in their opening game against Nzalang Nacional of Equatorial Guinea. They are currently third on the group table.
There are two rounds of matches left to play, and the Super Eagles will need to get a positive result from this clash. Anything other than a victory would put a huge dent in their quest for a fourth AFCON title.
Ivory Coast should be able to secure a spot in the knockout stages if they beat Nigeria. It'll be interesting to see how these teams match up against each other.
Prediction 1: Ivory Coast to win
These teams are on opposite sides in terms of recent form. On one hand, the Super Eagles have struggled to find their stride in recent months. José Peseiro‘s side managed just one win in their last six matches in all competitions.
This is in contrast with Ivory Coast, who have been unstoppable lately. They've won four consecutive matches, scoring 18 times in the process. Considering the Ivorians have the added advantage of playing at home, we believe they'll take all three points from this match.
Prediction 2: One team will fail to score
It's important to note that Nigeria scored five times in their last five matches, that's a goal per game on average.
However, breaching Ivory Coast's defence is easier said than done. Jean-Louis Gasset's troops have been able to depend on their stingy defence recently, as they conceded just once in their last four matches. That said, we believe that one of these teams will not score.
Prediction 3: Less than three total goals
For our final Ivory Coast vs Nigeria prediction, let's take a look at the over/under goals market.
These teams are among the most successful sides in the continent, so it's no surprise that they've met on many occasions. Bearing that in mind, recent clashes between these outfits have mostly been on the low-scoring side.
In fact, five of the last seven meetings between Ivory Coast and Nigeria produced less than three goals. Considering this was the case in Nigeria's last four matches, and also in five of Ivory Coast's last seven games, we shouldn't expect many goals in this clash.
Where to watch Ivory Coast vs Nigeria live
There are a few live streaming options for fans across the continent. For Nigerians, Supersport and StarTimes will broadcast this game on TV, while Ivorians tune into RTI and Canal+ CAN for live coverage of this match.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
